Preparations Complete
Long after the last of the Spirit Hunters had breathed his last, Tomakin stood in the clearing, surrounded by six worthy attendants. Three to stand for the life-bringing, justice, and purity of order and three to bring about the destruction, sin, and impurity of chaos. As one, they knelt to receive new names and power to better serve their new master. By the time the sun had begun to rise, all six had undergone transformations beyond any that they had gone through before.
Tomakin turned and looked for the mortal, and he eventually found her underneath a tree, wrapped in her cloak and fast asleep. Mortals were quite strange in this regard. They spent far too much time wishing their lives lasted longer than a candle yet they often wasted it on meaningless pursuits and indulged in rest. Shaking his head, Tomakin prodded her mind until she sat up drenched in cold sweat.
During his brief counter with her mind, he had learned several things about her, and the things she had had to cope with and endure. The monsters in her mind that tormented her daily with guilt and grief were far more terrible than he had foreseen. Unless overcome personally, such problems would never cease to continue to plague the person. But that didn't mean that everyone had to go through it alone. This one's path would go on to be quite the spectacle to behold.
He asked, "Shall we go on to the first stop on your tour? I've finished my business so I'm quite interested in what you have in mind for this little escapade." The mortal nodded, perhaps confident in what to do for once, and said, "Yup! We're going to the Elves' capital of Polis! I heard their seafood is amaz-" Ah, she stopped as if realizing some previously unknown, horrifying truth. She turned to Tomakin and said, "You can't eat can you? You're in a spirit form so food will just pass right through you." That was a good point she had brought up. This spirit-like form was useful for remaining undetected but it did not possess the ability to consume the physical food that these mortals enjoyed so much,
Thankfully, there was an easy solution. Tapping the dragon skull on his head twice was enough to start the process. From the top of his head, a wave of energy began to travel down his body, changing spirit to flesh as it passed over. His ordinary robes were of superior quality to that of any mortal make so they would have to be replaced by a inferior set of a scholar's gray robes. Normally, they were hidden but now that he no longer wore the skull, his silver horns were in full display. They sprouted from his temples and swept back towards the back of his head before splitting into several smaller branches. A dragon's tail also emerged and it swung lazily back and forth as he looked at himself, the silver scales glinting in the sunlight. His eyes were emerald green and his hair black and curly. His teeth were too sharp to be human but it would easily serve as a deterrent to any hapless mortal. The skull was now on his right shoulder to act as shoulder armor. Any human would describe him as a slender, young man with a dragon's horns and tail.
Surely, the mortal was impressed with such a masterful transformati- She was looking at him with a rather strange expression, even for a mortal, wasn't she? If expressed with a remark, it would be something like 'HUUUHH?!' After composing herself, the mortal asked, "Why are you a Dragonoid?! Don't you know they're extinct? If you're a dragon, couldn't you have transformed into a Drakonid or something else that isn't typically a fossil or legend?" Tomakin merely looked at her and asked, "This is the closest I can get to one of my true forms and still look human, so I naturally chose to wear this skin. As for being an 'extinct' race, many of the Dragonoids may have been killed by this world's Demon King but there are still some left hidden here and there. All I have to do is tell people that I survived the paranoia-driven genocide of the Dragonoids by the Demon King and we'll be fine. Isn't that right, Arghastlosen?"
This last question was directed at the creature who now stood beside him. It resembled a tall man but the skin was just wrong. The skin was an oily, pitch black color that seemed to constantly cover itself in dozens of scales, layers of chitin, and even the carapaces of crustaceans. The arms themselves were actually bundles of shifting tentacles, each tipped with long, curved claws, that joined to form enormous, clawed hands. The rest of the body was of similar flesh except for the face which was smooth and dominated by a singular, crimson eye. It didn't speak but instead a deep rumble like that of boulders crashing together emanated from deep within its chest.
Once finished listening to the rumble, Tomakin nodded in agreement, "You're right, this would draw international attention to myself, but I have no intention of changing. This form will help to guide several different paths the more I accomplish in it." Arghastlosen seemed to sigh as if unsatisfied with such a shabby excuse but then shook his head and stomped over to Aella. Tomakin said as she began to back away, "You require some protection in the near future so Arghastlosen here will be your babysitter for now. You two have more in common than you think, so you two should get along just fine. Now come on, I'm excited to try this sea food that you were speaking of."
Aella and Arghastlosen stared at each other for a moment before Aella grinned nervously, thrust out her hand and said, "I look forward to working with you in the future so please look after me well!" Arghastlosen rumbled and shook her hand affably before turning to follow after Tomakin, who had walked off earlier. Aella ran after them but had to struggle to keep up with their inhuman speed and stamina.
Three Days Later
Tomakin and Aella stood atop a branch of an enormous tree as they looked down upon the Port City of Polis, Capital of the Elves. Aella cleared her throat and indicated the city with a sweep of her hand, "Here we have Polis, the capital of the Elven United Federation and the second most important port in the known world. We'll be visiting the famous Elven fishmongers and small cafes for the chance to try their famous seafood. I hear that you can also purchase and try spices from all over the world! Let's go to Polis!"